NEW HAVEN -- Wayne Washington, 26, has been shot three times, operated on the streets for years and has two felonies on his record, both related to possession of firearms.

But since getting out of prison, where he served less than a year, Washington has turned his life around in a big way.

He earned associate's and bachelor's degrees and is attending a master's degree program at Southern Connecticut State University where he finished last semester with a 3.3 grade point average.

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He even has a job as a case management worker at Columbus House.

But as he looks to the future, his criminal record likely will stand in the way of his ultimate goal: to become a college professor.

Washington was one of about 20 people who attended a free session at City Hall recently to get coaching on the process of seeking a pardon.

As part of Mayor John DeStefano Jr.'s Prison Reentry Initiative, six sessions are scheduled, beginning May 30 through Aug. 8.

Washington's story is more remarkable than most, but those seeking to clear their records are also usually doing so to increase their chances of employment.

Advocates of the pardon system say employment is key to giving a second chance to those convicted of a crime.

Without a job, the cycle of crime is more likely to continue and the family unit more likely to suffer, resulting in distress for children, advocates of the pardon system say.

Maurice Smith, chairman of the Freddie Fixer Parade Committee and a paralegal, has guided people through the pardon process for years free of charge, because the paperwork is huge and the steps specific.

Smith, who receives a grant through the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to help with expenses related to pardons, got involved as a member of Elm City Nation, an antiviolence group that went after gang activity.

Gang members told Smith their records were mostly what stood in the way of employment, so he did some research, learned of the pardons and started helping.

Maurice said he's seen as many as six felonies erased from a person's record.

"A lot of people didn't understand the concept and they don't understand legal documents," he said. "A lot of people had a criminal history and were ashamed to go before the board, but I told them, 'They already know what you did. Their focus is on what you've been doing since.'"

The pardon process, while still cumbersome, is easier than it was 15 years ago, when felons had to wait seven years from date of conviction to apply for a full pardon, five years for those with misdemeanors. The time frame is now five years and three years, respectively. People convicted of a crime can seek pardons only after completing their sentence, which might range from prison to probation to a fine.

Those subsequent years have to be clean years without any convictions. A provisional pardon can be applied for anytime, and comes with a certificate of employability, making it illegal for an employer to deny employment based on one's criminal record.

"This is important to me because, if you really look at the root causes of why these people are out in those gangs, it balloons out of control because people are not getting jobs," Smith said. "Some of the root causes of violence, drug activity stems from the fact they can't get employment."

Smith, who's helped many get pardons -- and seen even more turned down -- said it's not as easy as some might think for the convicted person to take the step.

"It's not easy for a lot of these cats out here to swallow their pride," he said.

But some 20 men and women did swallow that pride to attend a session at City Hall, where they received the application and a half-hour group overview followed by 90 minutes of individual help.

The overview was delivered by Eric Grey, community grant coordinator for the mayor's reentry initiative. He explained the types of pardons: the provisional pardon, conditional pardon, and the full expungement, in which it's all wiped clean.

"It's as if you never committed a crime," Grey told them of the latter.

He told them the process is lengthy and, while there's no fee, there are associated costs, such as for copies of criminal records.

"If you're looking for employment, don't wait," he told them. Grey added that having a job while applying is actually a plus, as is any community service or church activity.

"The granting of a pardon is a completely subjective process. They can accept or deny it for any reason," Grey said.

He warned them that being a sex offender or having committed homicide or a brutal assault would lessen the chances of a pardon.

Part of the application calls for essays describing the criminal incident and what they should have done differently.

Grey told the pardon session attendees to "avoid minimization" of the conviction, such as writing, "it wasn't my fault," or, "I was set up."

New Haven Reentry Coordinator Althea Marshall Brooks said it's important to let people reentering society from prison know there are resources, even though the pardon is not an immediate one. Brooks said some people feel isolated when they get out of prison.

Brooks said Washington is a great example of the success of reentry.

Since it's been less than five years since conviction, Washington said he's going for a provisional pardon and later will seek expungement.

Washington, who had always been told by teachers how smart he was, hit rock bottom while incarcerated, he said.

"If you want to be a loser, all you have to do is hang out with losers," he said of his realization. "In prison, I saw how brainwashed my peers were and saw a lot of potential going nowhere."

While in prison, he helped people get their GEDs through tutoring, and his No. 1 goal was to go back to college.

Washington came out of prison and got two college degrees in one year. He'd already had some credits before his time in prison.

In his job at Colombus House, where he deals mainly with people reentering society after prison, Washington tries to motivate by telling them there are resources today if they want to make an effort.

He hopes to get a pardon and lead by example.

Charmaine Service, 47, recently received a pardon through the Freddie Fixer program after being turned down twice for technicalities.

Service, who works at Dollar Tree and hopes now to get a job at Yale-New Haven Hospital in cleaning or dietary services, said she was arrested in 2001 on drug charges, including intent to sell, when she took a stained comforter back to K-Mart and they found drugs stashed in the package. She said someone put the drugs in the bag, not knowing she was going to return the item.

"It (the conviction) hurt me a lot because I had an opportunity one time to get a job. They called me for an interview and I disclosed the conviction and they said they couldn't hire me," she said.

"They ask you what you're doing for society," she said, noting it all seemed to turn around when she returned to church in 2007.

She said the pardon wouldn't have been as meaningful if she received it one of the first two times she had tried, because she's in a different spiritual place now.

"I thank God for (Maurice Smith). I couldn't have done it without him," she said.

Some people of more means hire attorneys to assist in their pardon quest.

Attorney Tara Knight of New Haven recently represented a Woodstock, N.Y., man, James DeChiario, in his successful bid to get a full pardon for robbery and unlawful restraint convictions.

DeChiario, a former North Haven resident, said having his criminal record was a blockade, and it limited him from accomplishing his goals.

"It is extremely hard to get any decent paying job," DeChiario said. "Having this record has always been something I've been ashamed of. No one wants to be known as someone who did this."

DeChiario has worked as a chef, but lost his job due to the economy a few weeks ago, and now is doing manual labor for the summer.

"I am absolutely hopeful that now, with this pardon, my job search efforts will be easier, and I'll be able to get a job in the corporate world," DeChiario said. "In the past, any corporate place I applied to turned me down instantly. Now that I have a pardon, I'll have just as much chance as anyone. I just want to move forward and be a productive member of society."

John DeFeo, executive director of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, said most individuals who come before the board seeking a pardon have convictions for minor crimes, but the board does also consider pardons for serious convictions.

"What the person has done in the meantime carries more weight than how serious the crime was," DeFeo said. "People with records do have a tougher time getting jobs. ... If people have jobs, it lowers the rate of re-offense."

Knight said: "It is not easy (to get a pardon), but they are becoming more open-minded to granting (pardons) because of the impact on their employability," Knight said. "They are not rubber-stamping pardons by any means." In cases when a reformed person continues to have a criminal record, "It has been creating a whole class of unemployable people."